Celebrate a Dream Come True...

Tara is always traveling all over the world with her fancy job and staying in fabulous hotels while eating yummy rich food. She invites us often to join her and we have enjoyed a few trips over the last few years visiting different cities and watching all of the sequins and feathers foxtrot across the ballroom floor. When she told us that this year's Arthur Murry Dance-A-Rama would be in Orlando, FL at the Waldorf Astoria Disney as well as the week of Spring Break and Isabelle's 5th birthday, we had no choice..we had to go!

Isabelle was thrilled with the idea of a birthday with Mickey and the gang and started saving her money in a homemade Disney Jar a few weeks before the day arrived. When Grandpa Elmo emptied his piggy bank into her Disney Jar just a few days before our journey began, Jelly had plenty of spending money for the trip. Finally our bags were packed and it was time to board a quick flight to Orlando. Isabelle and Olivia sat as quietly as two girls could who were filled with anticipation and excitement for the coming weeks adventures.

The first magical moment of the trip happened right away when we stepped off the plane and met Grammie at the Orlando airport waiting to join us in all the fun. She had taken a flight from Houston just shortly before we left San Antonio and I am not sure who was the most excited to see her...Belle, Livi or Ben and I as we quickly passed her our newly independent and super wiggly 1 year old! We were so blessed to have my mom share this vacation with us. Not only did she spoil the girls like usual but she was a much needed extra set of hands in a very busy place with two very young and spirited girls!

The Orlando airport is a site all by itself, with Disney everywhere, so the excitement and fun began immediately. We grabbed a quick taxi and made our way to the Waldorf Orlando Hotel. As mentioned in posts previous, Isabelle's dream is to be just like Eloise at the Plaza so a week of Isabelle at the Waldorf with her own queen-sized bed and chocolates left on her pillow each night was a week in paradise. (She was ready to move in permanently.) The resort was fabulous with pools, a lazy river, ponds with ducks, fountains and more. As soon as we met Aunt Tara and found our room, Isabelle climbed into the huge fluffy bed and said this is where I am sleeping! Lucky for us, since Tara was running the show, we were blessed to not only have a suite to stay in for the week but the adjoining room as well! The best part was that the hotel was right inside the Walt Disney World community and we could see the various parks right out our bedroom window. We had soft fluffy robes and white slippers to wear around the room and a little kitchen that Grammie and Tara had filled with snacks and drinks! Isabelle loved the beautiful room and was especially glad when they came for turn down service and left chocolates on her pillow each night! Olivia was thrilled to have space to explore and loved going out on the balcony and looking down to the grounds below.

Each of the 6 days we were there, we took our time sleeping in and getting ready before we headed out for the day. We stopped by the ballroom each morning for a bit and watched some of the dancing before we boarded the shuttle to one of the Disney theme parks. Both girls loved all of the glittery costumes and music in the ballroom and especially loved all of the attention they received from the many dancers. Both girls would have run straight out onto the dance floor to compete in a cha cha themselves if we hadn't held them back but were fortunate enough to have some of the ladies take them out on the floor and let them give a few spins of their own in the big ballroom during breaks in the competition.

After the ballroom visit each day, we headed to the wonderful Walt Disney World! We spent multiple days at Magic Kingdom, visited Downtown Disney for dinner and a dance party and discovered all sorts of fun at Animal Kingdom! Both Isabelle and Olivia loved riding all of the rides and were good sports to wait in line for their turn. Isabelle was tall enough to ride Splash Mountain and was completely in love with the thrill of the ride. She rode it 3 different times and sat in the front row when ever it was available! Olivia's favorite ride was Prince Charming's Regal Carousel and rode it several times as well. The line was even short enough one time that Grammie took her right off a horse and walked back on for a back to back spin. The worst part of the trip for little Livi was when the rides would end and she would have to get off! (She didn't quite get that concept!) A few of the other favorite rides over the week were Dumbo, Peter Pan and It's A Small World.

Another major highlight of the trip were the Disney parades each day. The girls loved all of the characters dancing and singing and we looked forward to parade time each afternoon. One night Ben and I had an extra special date with Isabelle and went back to Magic Kingdom after dinner for a big girl's only late evening. Grammie stayed at the hotel with Olivia and put her to bed while Ben and I enjoyed some one on one time with big sister. We rode rides Livi was too small for, ate ice cream and danced with Goofy and the Chipmunks during a show, etc. Luckily we were there late enough to see the Main Street Electric Parade and enjoyed all of the lights and sounds of Ben and my youth. We had planned to stay late enough to see the fireworks but after the parade Belle was so tired she looked at us and said let's go to bed! We left to the sound of fireworks behind us and carried our own Sleeping Beauty back to the hotel.

Following in her sister's footsteps to enjoy everything loud and wild, little Livi had a wonderful time on the vacation. She danced with the Bears from the Country Bear's Jamboree, ate all sorts of new foods and waved constantly to all of the characters. She surprisingly loved getting her picture taken with all of the princesses and no ride was ever too fast for this little nut. She loved eating all of the many treats and especially enjoyed the messy churros and her very own ice cream cone.

A major highlight from the trip was Isabelle's birthday dinner at 1900 Park Fair. We all feasted on dishes from around the globe while we visited and mingled with the characters from Cinderella. Even the Ugly Step Sisters came by to wish Belle a Happy Birthday and during a special moment in the evening, Prince Charming led Isabelle along the dance floor for a little waltz of their own. The night was capped off with a HUGE Disney cupcake and an ice cream sundae for the birthday girl.

Another memorable moment was seeing both the Becksteads and Griffiths families in Orlando. Both had formally lived in San Antonio and it was so fun to see familiar faces in such a busy place. Isabelle had a great time visiting with one of her first friends, Brooklyn, and Olivia and Lexie did their best to keep up with their big sisters.

Thankfully, Aunt Tara was able to sneak away from all of the dancing one day to have fun at Magic Kingdom with us. It was great to share the magic with her and let her enjoy the art of Disney through children's eyes again. Of course the week came to an end much too quickly and it was time for us to head back home before we knew it. Walt Disney World truly is The Happiest Place on Earth and this was a dream vacation for all of us! (Ben's Blackberry was kept at a very reasonable usage throughout the week.) What a fabulous 5th birthday for our own little Princess!

Little Dribblers

*The above photos are courtesy of http://www.jaimiehaleyphotography.com

Isabelle has wanted to play basketball since she was old enough to have an opinion. Maybe it is because it was both her parents sport of choice, or maybe it's because she loves to go to the Spurs game, but either way she was thrilled when she was finally old enough to play on a real basketball team. Ben kindly obliged her request and was the coach of the Little Dribblers Orange Sharks this winter. (Named by the 4 year old team!)

Isabelle signed up with her friend from soccer Austin, and as luck had it, Jelly was the only girl on her team! I think she was a little intimidated at first, but she quickly warmed up and loved when her coach yelled her name to run into the game. Although she made hoops, as she called them, during practice, she never made a basket during a game. She rarely even shot the basketball during game time but she had many assists and was a great passer. She also was one of the best dribblers and took her time and brought the ball all the way down the court dribbling the entire way!

Although the score was never officially kept, we think the Orange Sharks may have been undefeated for the year! Ben was a perfect coach, teaching the kids the basics but letting them have fun along the way, and it was a successful first attempt at Jelly becoming a basketball star!

You've had a birthday shout hooray!

On February 25, 2011 our sweet little Olivia turned 1 years old. Isabelle was so excited for the big day and spent countless amounts of energy decorating, shopping, wrapping gifts, baking and lots of running around making sure everything would be perfect for her little sister's special day! She chose a Sesame Street theme and filled the house with baby Elmos and Big Birds. Olivia loved all of the decorations and ripped several of them down to help celebrate! We ended up celebrating for three days because we went at Olivia's pace and let her open a present her and there and whenever she was interested. She loved all of the wrapping paper and bows and of course loved playing in the boxes as much as with the actual gift.

Belle planned an outing to a mini-golf course and we enjoyed the beautiful weather while Belle putted the golf balls and Livi chased them and often caught them before they made it to the hole. We then celebrated at Alamo Cafe and both girls ate their favorite dinner...quesadillas. We decided to try a new recipe and made Olivia some Red Velvet cookies which Isabelle iced with homemade icing she dyed lilac purple. Despite the weird color combination they were delicious and Olivia loved when we sang to her and let her blow out a giant #1 candle on her cookie. The highlight of the entire birthday weekend was each time we sang Happy Birthday to You, Livi pointed to herself with glee!





Top 10 Things about Olivia at Age One:

1. She loves pat-a-cake and knows all of the actions. Her favorite part is when we throw it in the oven!
2. She is a talker!!!! Her words of choice right now are: Belle, Ma ma, Da da, Hi, Ugh Oh, All Done and Grandpa.
3. She is not a good sleeper. She is a cat napper just like Belle was, but hasn't become a great night sleeper yet either. We blame it on the fact that she had fluid in her ears for 3 months straight and are hopeful for the future.
4. She LOVES Isabelle. Most mornings her first word is Belle and if she ever hears Belle's voice she instantly starts looking for her.
5. She loves things that go. She got a new riding toy for her birthday and insists Belle push her on it all day long. She also cries to ride Belle's scooter and/or tricycle, etc.
6. She is a messy eater and is picky too. One day she will eat a banana and the next day she will throw it over her highchair. I always have a big mess to clean up after dinner.
7. She is a climber! She climbs out of her highchair, onto the table, in the window sill, etc. Anywhere there is a little spot for her foot to fit, she can climb.
8. Speaking of climbing, she is obsessed with the stairs but refuses to use them correctly. She climbs them quickly but won't go down on her tummy like we show her. She is sure she can walk down just like Isabelle. It is a constant concern at our house.
9. She likes to shower and sometimes takes 2 and 3 showers a day. If Ben is in and she can climb in, she does. Then again with me and then at bedtime as well. She is a clean baby!
10. She is a lover! She gives all of her dolls in her bed a "love" constantly and gives her family "loves" too. She is a much more cuddly baby than Belle was and I don't think any of us will ever tire of holding her and giving/getting some love.

When you ask Olivia how old she is, she happily holds up one tiny finger! What a doll she is! Happy Birthday Olivia!!! We love you!!!

San Antonio Snow Day

Isabelle has never seen real snow before. We have travelled to snowy places in the winter with her too and as luck would have it, it never snowed. She even sat on Santa's lap once in Macy's New York and didn't see a single flake! So when she came home from preschool one day this February and told us that her teacher said it was going to snow tomorrow in SAN ANTONIO, we were worried. What were they teaching her? Yet, much to the entire city's surprise, her teacher was almost right!!!

We woke up to what the rest of the world would call a heavy frost, but in South Texas it is called a SNOW DAY! Schools were cancelled and freeways were closed. All the neighborhood kids were thrilled and flocked outside in their best winter gear to "sled" and make "snow angels." The funniest part was that all of the kids were using their swim accessories since no one seemed to own a real winter toy. Belle was pulled around on a boogie board for a while before we blew up her swim-tube and pushed her down the street.

Olivia and I came outside for a minute or two but spent most of the time watching from the windows. However, Isabelle and Ben stayed outside for a couple hours playing and frolicking in the "snow" before coming inside for hot cocoa. Much to Belle's dismay, the sun came up quickly and by lunchtime our snow day was over. Everything in town was closed but you couldn't tell that we had even had a storm. It was back to 70 degrees and life as usual before we knew it.

It was a real snow miracle for San Antonio and it was just enough fun for Belle to think she has really experienced winter now. She had her fill of the cold and is now looking forward to using her inner tube in the swimming pool instead!

Let's Rodeo San Antonio

We never like to sit still for too long, so just 2 days after Olivia's surgery we gave her new ears a test and dressed in our boots and hats as we headed to the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. This is one of the highlights of Isabelle's year always and she makes plans for the next years outing as soon as we leave the arena. We always like to bring our resident cowboy with us too, so Grandpa Elmo and Grammie made the trip over as usual and we feasted on cowboy food while we cheered all the cowboys on to victory with their 8 second ride!

This year we were entertained by Lady Antebellum following the rodeo and Isabelle and Olivia both danced and sang along with the band. Like always, the louder and wilder the better for those two cowgirls!

Ben and I took advantage a second time and snuck away on Valentines Day evening to get our country on again, but this time to the tune of a certain favorite of mine, Gary Allan. We were lucky enough to have Tara and her friend Bobby visiting for the holiday too and again had fun eating and singing the night away!

Isabelle would spend each night of the short rodeo season in her cowboy boots, so we headed over on last time before the 2011 season came to a close. This time we enjoyed all the grounds had to offer outside watching pig races, cow auctions, riding ponies and so on. Isabelle rode several carnival rides and I even snuck a "too small" Olivia onto her first Merry-go-Round before I was told by someone "official" she was not big enough for any more rides.

There is one thing I know for sure, for as long as we reside in San Antonio we will anticipate and thoroughly enjoy the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo! After all, we have two little native Texans living under our roof!!

Olivia takes a turn!

Dr. Beidiger blames it on me...my girls have very tiny Eustachian tubes and they get it from their mother! I have heard the story numerous times from my own mother, about how I had such bad ear infections as a tiny child and I even have the 30 year old bottle of medicated ear drops in my medicine cabinet now that I remember using on many occasions growing up. We all know Isabelle was/is plagued by Otitsis Media regularly and it looks like it will be Olivia's weakness as well.

Olivia got her first bad ear infection on November 7th and exactly 12 weeks and 6 antibiotics later she went under the knife and had a double Myringotomy with tube placements. It was a long three months of sleepless nights and we are having to reteach our big girl how to sleep again now. Olivia went happily in Dr. Beidiger's arms into the operating room and as usual, the meds were the hardest part of the surgery. Once they wore off and she was truly awake, she made a quick recovery and was happy to finally have the ear pressure relieved.

Of course she wanted to test her new tubes out right away and within a week of her procedure I was having to wipe her ears, rather than her nose, right along with Isabelle's! Now they both wear ear plugs in the bath tub and visit our favorite doctor together regularly. Like we've said before, we are grateful to live in a time of modern medicine! What a blessing!